Hockey Fight?

It's like clockwork, there's some reprehensible incident and the debate over whether fighting should be banned in the NHL starts to creep into the discussion. It's an old debate and one, I think, that stems from the NHLs desire to push further into the mainstream. That's exactly the opposite direction that I think they should be going in. It's expanding so recklessly from a regional sport that's caused them their current problems. What they should be doing is to concentrate on serving their remaining base before it's whittled away completely, not using them as a springboard in a quixotic attempt for more market share. As for fighting, well, let me just say that the first time my interest was piqued came when one of my grade school classmates brought in a tape of some Probert fights he'd recorded. Watching the grainy footage on a borrowed school A/V set after school one day, I was hooked. I know I'm not the only one and the league shouldn't overlook the drawing power of their fights. Hockey's a beautiful, graceful, fast sport but it's also a dangerous, brutal, and violent one. It's the combination of the two that's so enticing, if you ask me.